1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to dental floss picks, and more particularly, to a low cost, plastic, disposable dental floss pick and method of manufacture.
2. Description of Prior Art
The daily use of dental floss is desirable for a number of reasons. It is a means of cleaning between the teeth and under gum margins so that bacterial or dental plaque is removed. Dental authorities consider plaque the leading cause of periodontal disease and tooth loss in adults. Also, dental floss is the best means for removal of food particles between the teeth after eating. The trapped particles are annoying, may interfere with proper speech, and when permitted to remain, may cause bad breath. The standard wood or plastic tooth picks that are usually used for this purpose have a number of shortcomings, among them the tendency to break during use, sharp edges which may cut into the gums and cause bleeding, and a leading point which is often too thick to dislodge particles from narrow spaces between teeth.
Prior art in this field discloses that existing disposable dental floss picks have generally been made by a process that injection molds plastic material around a strand of flossing material, producing a chain of floss picks; the floss picks are then separated by cutting apart the floss between consecutive floss picks. The following patent represents the state of the art: U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,926,201, granted to Harry S. Katz, the inventor of the present application. Injection molding, as specified in Katz, is an excellent method for producing this type of product, and has been used for large scale production of this type of product, but involves significant costs in mold set-up and maintenance. The present invention is an innovative and nonobvious improvement over Katz and the other prior art.